Chapter 47 Entrance Exam (8)
“I just don’t understand the reason why.”
“…”
Sion’s master stood with his back to her, silently gazing out the window at the sprawling cityscape.
“Sion, out of all the children I’ve seen, you possess the greatest talent.”
“Then why exactly…!”
“But you’re only halfway there.”
“Then all the more reason I shouldn’t go to Eternia. I still have so much to learn from you, Master. It would be a waste of time to spend four years at Eternia.”
Sion deemed attending Eternia meaningless. Even though she had an incomparable teacher like the Swordmaster by her side, spending four years at Eternia was nothing but a waste of time in her eyes.
However, her master had a differing opinion.
“No, it is precisely for that reason you must go to Eternia.”
“There you go again with that.”
“That other half is not something I can complete for you.”
“I honestly have no idea what this other half is. Master, you are always so elusive on this issue, it’s not like you. But it doesn’t matter. You remember our bet, don’t you? If I defeat all the candidates, you agreed to permit me to forsake admission into Eternia.”
“Of course, I remember.”
“Now that I’ve even defeated Gale Barianne, there’s no one left who is a match for me. As promised, once I finish the entrance exam, I will give up on entering Eternia.”
He swirled the wine in his glass leisurely as he spoke.
“Didn’t I always emphasize that? It’s not over until it’s truly over.”
It was strange. Even as she defeated entrance candidates and even the upperclassmen, he seemed unworried about the prospect of her losing the bet.
“Do you think, Master, that someone who can defeat me is going to drop out of the sky?”
He laughed robustly, his demeanor reminiscent of a seasoned gambler.
“Hahahaha! That’s entirely within the realm of possibility.”
It was ludicrous. If it were anyone other than her master, she would have accused them of forcing an unfair condition.
Yet he looked at Sion with a kind of pity.
“I’ve traveled with you across the entire continent, and yet you are still within the well.”
***
In the well.
Sion mulled over his words as she climbed Mount Grace.
She knew her abilities didn’t even come close to her master’s, and she was well aware of how far she had to go to reach the zenith of swordsmanship.
She could accept being “in the well.”
However, to Sion, Eternia felt like another well altogether.
She couldn’t understand what her master expected from Eternia.
He was the one who taught her that if she was certain she was correct, she should push through to the end, no matter what anyone said. Following his teaching, Sion was simply determined to see her opinion through.
She didn’t want to leave behind any regrets. Therefore, Sion sought an untouched path and traversed Mount Grace alone, without anyone’s help.
In doing so, Sion reached the second waypoint faster than anyone.
Following the map from here would take less than half a day to reach the summit.
The feeling she had upon seeing the empty waypoint wasn’t one of satisfaction or triumph. Instead, it was a sense of disillusionment.
She wasn’t sure what she was doing or what significance it held.
Part of her may have hoped for an unexpected twist in the wager with her master.
But the examination proceeded exactly as predicted and was wholly tilting in Sion’s favor.
Unless she deliberately slowed down, there would be no surprises.
She had no intention of waiting around to welcome the challengers warmly. A twist obtained through a lackluster performance had no meaning for her.
Without any delay, Sion immediately proceeded towards the entrance to Route A.
***
Lilith was well aware of how to dominate in relationships.
If you didn’t want anything from someone else, that was all that mattered. Keeping to this rule, one would never be at a disadvantage, and if you discovered the other person’s desires, the relationship’s dynamic would be clearly defined.
This law applied to all kinds of relationships, not just romantic ones.
Many noble heirs clung to Lilith because they wanted something from her.
They coveted Lilith’s beauty, but thanks to an abundance of attention, she never had a need to cling to one man. Knowing perfectly well what they desired, Lilith dominated the relationship.
However, being privy to that principle didn’t mean she could have things her way in every situation.
Lilith was completely at a disadvantage with the man in the mask.
She was heavily dependent on the man for almost everything.
While Lilith had many desires, he seemed to have none at all.
He led the way, and whenever a Plantara appeared, he would casually dispatch it with a few deft moves.
She had nothing to do.
He had retrieved the Wand for her, yet ironically, he was also the one who rendered her make the Wand useless.
Considering his contribution, he could have demanded a great reward from Lilith, and she was prepared to compensate him generously.
But he asked for nothing.
“Ah!”
Lilith stumbled over a tree root and fell.
The man glanced back at her and grabbed her wrist, pulling her back to her feet.
Silently, he brushed the dirt off her clothes and moved forward again.
“…”
His casual care, reminiscent of a big brother tending to a young sister—indifferent yet occasionally attentive—exasperated Lilith.
‘Ha. You do care about me after all, you jerk. But we’re not companions? We are companions… we are!’
“Hey!”
The words rose to her throat, but she forcefully held them back.
“Let’s go together…”
They had left the cave early in the dawn and arrived at the second waypoint before noon.
Unlike the first, this place featured only a solitary two-story log cabin made of round logs.
After looking around the waypoint, Lilith spoke up.
“Is there no one else here? Are we the first to arrive?”
Such an occurrence was beyond her imagination when they first commenced the entrance exam. To be ahead of Gale, Luna, and Cecil.
It was finally confirmed that following the man in the mask had been the correct decision.
From here, taking either Route A or B, they could finish the exam before sunset; even if they didn’t, they were well within the safe zone for passing.
Of course, for Lilith to take either Route A or B was impossible.
As one closes in on the peak of Mount Grace, the mana emanating from the ground intensifies, significantly boosting the combat abilities of the Plantaras.
On those routes, aggression peaks, with Plantaras attacking from every direction, leaving no room to breathe.
Arriving at the waypoint, there was only one question rising in Lilith’s mind.
‘Will this man choose Route A or B?’
The man stood at the open door of the cabin, quietly looking down at the ground. Lilith approached the cabin, sensing something amiss.
“What’s the matter? Is something wrong?”
She followed the man’s gaze down.
Footprints were imprinted in the mud, not yet dried.
From the size and shape of the shoes, they were clearly those of a woman.
“We aren’t the first ones here…”
A figure came to Lilith’s mind, and it seemed he was thinking along the same lines.
There was only one person who could have outpaced everyone else.
“It’s Sion… isn’t it?”
The man didn’t enter the cabin but stood in place and then took a bottle out of his bag.
Lilith wasn’t sure exactly what it was.
She did remember, however, that every time there was a sign of impending battle, the man would take very small sips from it. And after doing so, his eyes would glow faintly.
He lifted his mask slightly and pressed the bottle to his lips.
One sip, two sips, three.
Lilith’s pupils expanded as she watched.
He finished off the entire potion.
It was a sight she hadn’t seen during their entire journey together.
It signified that he was preparing for a major battle.
‘So he is leaving.’
Was it now time for them to go their separate ways?
Even though she somewhat anticipated this, facing the reality caused her heart to sink oddly.
If Lilith were to insist on following any further, she would undoubtedly become a burden.
It was only now she realized.
Lilith was never meant to be a companion.
His attitude was now somewhat understandable. At the most critical moment, Lilith would be of little help.
The thought of him leaving without any goodbye made her feel hollow and drained.
“…I’m tired. I’ll rest in the cabin.”
Lilith entered the cabin first. She picked up a few logs stacked against a wall and threw them into the fireplace to start a fire. Then, she laid down on a long wooden bench.
If she closed her eyes there and then opened them, she was sure the man would be gone.
She should not feel regretful. It was a relationship destined to end this way from the start.
***
Due to the lingering dampness from the rain the night before, the dirt roads around the cabin were all muddy and slushy.
I could find a single footprint there.
Following it quietly, the track led toward Route A.
Ever since the entrance exam started, there had been no word of Sion.
I was curious where she had vanished to, and here we crossed paths merely through these tracks.
The footprints belonged to just one individual, indicating she had come alone.
Her abilities were as terrifying as the rumors suggested.
It was now time for me to put forth my full strength.
But whether I had enough energy left for the final challenge, I couldn’t be certain.
I returned to the cabin.
I threw some logs into the dying embers of the fireplace and checked on Lilith.
She was curled up on the bench, sleeping fitfully. Seen like this, she was just a small, young girl.
I walked over to Lilith. Then, I straightened her tightly clenched fingers and placed three pieces of candy in her hand.
She hadn’t been much help, but her company had kept the boredom at bay.
She should be able to fend for herself now that we had come this far.
Stepping out of the cabin, I unfolded my map. I couldn’t merely chase after Silveryn’s selected rival.
I checked the direction to Route B and began walking. As I left the waypoint to enter the path for Route B, someone yelled from behind me.
“Wait a minute!”
Turning around, I saw Lilith standing where the voice had come from.
She seemed furious, her eyes narrowed, stomping towards me with determination.
“I knew it.”
“…”
“You were going to sneak away while I slept? How could you do something like that?”
Lilith reached me and abruptly seized my wrist.
Then she placed a potion in my hand.
“This is the special vitality potion from the Umer family I’d been saving for myself. Drink it when you feel tired. I won’t be needing it anymore.”
“……”
Was this why she had followed me?
I tucked the potion into my inner pocket.
Yet despite the goodwill behind the gift, Lilith’s gaze was anything but kind.
Her eyes were filled with anger and resentment.
It looked like she was waiting for me to say something, but I had no intention of responding.
Silently, I turned my back on her and continued on my way.
Thanks to the lingering effects of the griffon potion which heightened my senses, I could overhear Lilith muttering to herself.
“…Jerk.”
***
A massive explosion reverberated through the mountain range.
“Sister!”
Trisha startled, dashing to hide behind Cecil.
Cecil looked up toward the origin of the noise. It came from somewhere near the summit of Mount Grace.
Excluding Trisha, the rest of the teammates, sensing the abnormality, were all looking up toward the mountain’s upper reaches.
Cecil pulled out her telescope and focused on the upper parts of Mount Grace. Blue lights flickered on and off a few times through the trees.
She hastily grabbed a map and compared the location with the lights.
“It seems to be Route A…”
Bertang, Cecil’s cousin and colleague, said as if in shock.
“No way. This fast?”
“I’m sure of it. With that speed, there’s no one else it could be but Sion.”
“Ha, hahaha, just like the rumors said, she’s ferociously fast.”
Kwaang!
Another explosion rang out.
“Huh? The explosions are coming from somewhere else?”
“Over there, look there!”
Another teammate pointed to another location.
Not far from where the blue lights were, bursts of white light flashed intermittently like lightning strikes.
Cecil checked the map and spoke.
“What’s that? That’s the direction of Route B. There’s someone else?”
“What? Who else could be moving that fast other than Sion?”
The white light was surging with formidable speed toward the mountain summit.
Climbing Route B at such a speed? From the intensity of the emerging lights and the sound of explosions, it was clear this was no ordinary individual.
Even more, by the fervor of their advance, they seemed likely to reach the top faster than Sion.
Bertang watched the spectacle, muttering to himself.
“What in the world is happening?”
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